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Stars in the Grass
“The summer before I turned ten was idyllic—until August 3, 1970. It perfectly describes a time when I thought the world was safe and good things lasted forever..."
Nine-year-old Abby McAndrews has just experienced her greatest loss, and in its wake, her family is unraveling with guilt, grief, and anger. Her father, Reverend McAndrews, cannot return to the pulpit because he has more questions than answers. Her older brother Matt’s actions speak louder than the words he needs to confess, as he acts out in dangerous ways. Her mother tries to hold her grieving family together, but when Abby’s dad refuses to move on, the family is at a crossroads.
Stars in the Grass, set in a small Midwestern town in 1970, is an uplifting novel that explores a family’s relationships and resiliency. Abby’s heartbreaking remembrances are balanced by humor and nostalgia as her family struggles with—and ultimately celebrates—life after loss.
Nine-year-old Abby McAndrews has just experienced her greatest loss, and in its wake, her family is unraveling with guilt, grief, and anger. Her father, Reverend McAndrews, cannot return to the pulpit because he has more questions than answers. Her older brother Matt’s actions speak louder than the words he needs to confess, as he acts out in dangerous ways. Her mother tries to hold her grieving family together, but when Abby’s dad refuses to move on, the family is at a crossroads.
Stars in the Grass, set in a small Midwestern town in 1970, is an uplifting novel that explores a family’s relationships and resiliency. Abby’s heartbreaking remembrances are balanced by humor and nostalgia as her family struggles with—and ultimately celebrates—life after loss.
320 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2017
About the author
Ann Marie Stewart
9 books86 followersAnn Marie Stewart writes fiction about real families with real problems. Her books are ultimately READ-eemable--rewarding stories worth a reader's time.
Raised in Seattle, WA, a blind date on the east coast meant a move to the other Washington and ultimately living in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
When she's not writing, she's waterskiing, watching UVA basketball, thrift shopping with her two twenty-something daughters, or hanging out with her husband and a whole flock of fuzzy sheep on Skye Moor Farm, in Virginia--where unscripted drama provides plenty of entertaining material!
Raised in Seattle, WA, a blind date on the east coast meant a move to the other Washington and ultimately living in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
When she's not writing, she's waterskiing, watching UVA basketball, thrift shopping with her two twenty-something daughters, or hanging out with her husband and a whole flock of fuzzy sheep on Skye Moor Farm, in Virginia--where unscripted drama provides plenty of entertaining material!
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February 14, 2017
First off I'm going to warn you this is an emotional read. It's moving, it's raw, it's heartbreaking. I loved it! I loved the emotions and the heartbreaking honesty of it all. Abby is our narrator, she's young and full of life, until tragedy strikes. Something that shakes her whole world. Her whole family's world. It shakes them all to the core and yet the world keeps spinning on and everyone else seems to be unaffected by their deep grief and loss. Abby is very perceptive and is stuck in this struggle to help her family as she watches them all shift and change and yet she is unable to help herself.
I loved the writing style and was amazed that this was Ann Marie Stewart's debut fiction novel. To me if felt as if she had been writing for years and years with the way she portrayed the characters, the emotions, the healing and all the ugly in between.
I could not even imagine what it would be like to lose a child, especially a young child who is so full and vibrant with life and love to a tragic accident. How would I respond and react? Would my world completely crumble? Would I be able to keep moving forward through the pain and sorrow to care for my other children? I've had several dear friends have children die, as babies on up to teenagers/early twenties. These babies and youth were so loved and my heart broke and ached for these dear parents. My youngest is a couple years older than Joel, who is our little hero in the book who dies. Oh, I know this is fictional but it happens and it really shakes a family up. As I was reading I couldn't help but think about my little one and imagining not having her smile and laugh and silly antics and yes even the meltdowns to fill our days. Last year was a hard year as my family dealt with a near loss of a family member to having another family member tragically killed. So many emotions that have to be sorted through and allowed to process in our minds and hearts. The grief can be so all consuming. I think between those above mentioned experiences and watching friends lose their beloved children, this book really touched me and pulled on my heart strings.
Abby's father is the Reverend at their church. He is so strongly affected by the loss of his little boy that his ability to live and cope consists of waking, running, disappearing during his runs, coming home and disappearing to his little workshop. No more can he fathom preaching good news when his heart is breaking.
Abby's brother Matt feels so grief stricken he shuts off and walks away from everything he loved. He makes new friends, tries smoking and drugs and hides away all his pain. He pulls away from his relationship with Abby, the one who desperately needs her big brother to help her, but how can she help him.
Abby's mom is left trying to hold everyone and everything together when it feels like sand pouring through her fingers. She can't get a grasp on anything as it continues to slip away. Everyone is changed, she is changed and she has to keep embracing the new person that she is and hope that the rest of the family can also embrace who they have now become through this experience.
Our lives and who we are, they are in constant motion, ever changing. We are never going to be the same person we were a year ago, a day ago. Why? Because every experience we have changes us. We learn, we make a choice, those choices and moments enlighten us to how we want to make further changes. I loved watching that happen to these characters in this book. After last year, I am no longer the person I was then. I hold everyone closer, I reach out more to those loved ones and friends I've lost contact with because we never know who needs us, who else is hurting, who else is struggling to find the person they have become through hard moments in life.
This is so beautifully written. I feel it is something that middle school aged children should read. It's a tough read but very compelling. To be in the mind of little Abby, you could relate to the mind of any young child going through a loss in their lives, be it death, divorce, loss of friendships, hardships at school, anything that can affect them strongly emotionally.
This book does talk about God and Christ and life and loss. I loved it! I wanted to put it away at a couple points because of the emotions and wanting to but being unable to help Abby. And yet, I kept reading because I couldn't put it down. We were driving for a work trip for my husband and I read the whole time. I know and believe that death is not the end, and for me that brings peace and comfort even through the tragedy. I will be with my family again. I know not everyone believes what I believe and that's ok, whatever your beliefs I think this is one of those books that can be read and enjoyed by anyone of any religion or non-religious beliefs. Another book similar to this that I absolute loved was, Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie.
Here are a few quotes that I loved from this book(sorry if you're searching for the end of this review...I just had so many thoughts swirling through my mind and they kept coming as I sat down to write this).
The summer before I turned ten was idyllic-until August 3, 1970. At the time I didn't know what that word meant, not having heard it in a sermon or one of Mom's vocabulary lessons. But it perfectly describes a time when I thought the world was safe and good things lasted forever. What I couldn't know then, but try to remember now, is how fragile and delicate are the moments we most treasure, and if they break into pieces, repairing means seeing anew.
"Gossamer," she said softly. "What's that?" Matt asked. "Something delicate." Mom closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. "Sort of how this night feels." "Gossamer...," I whispered, trying it on for size.
The lady was a mind reader. How maddening. I frowned so hard it hurt.
If you had lots and lots of happiness, you didn't appreciate it; but if you had a sliver, it was worth so much more. Tonight we all had a sliver.
Five minus one divided by two equaled two, but we were lonely twosomes. If we were talking accounting, the minuses outweighed the plusses, and I missed being a family.
If Mom had hope, then I knew our painting had a source of light. I didn't know what it was, but something made the drab colors brighten.
"It kind of feels like this year slowed down, didn't it?" he asked. "Like there's a lot of gravity. The more gravity, the more time slows down." That made sense. Things had been pretty grave around here and definitely slow. Gravity.
And maybe this was what heaven felt like: when you wanted a moment to go on forever.
For any of you who have been through a dark tunnel, you know what it means when someone takes you by the hand and leads you to the light.
Was there a word bigger than hope?
I am like Joel. I never want good things to end. When I unwrap Christmas presents, I dread opening the last one. At night, when Mom scratches my back, I don't want her to leave until her tender caress soothes me to sleep and into my dreams. And how can I enjoy the Fourth of July fireworks when each explosion of color might mark the grand finale? It's almost as though I need to know exactly how long the light show will last so that I can anticipate the dark.
It was a silly thing to do, but we all lay down on the porch with our heads on the step below, for a moment looking at the world upside down to see what Joel saw. Joel's world, and now ours, was lit with twinkling lights flickering through the grass, a miracle simple enough to grasp in our hands and our hearts.
And I remember that when the world seems most upside down, sometimes, if you look, you can see stars in the grass.
Content: I think I disclosed that with my review, loss and healing and everything in between. Clean read with some religious aspects, mention of drug and alcohol use and the ill effects, a silly moment about where babies come from.
I received a copy from the publisher, Shiloh Run Press, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Happy Reading!!!
I loved the writing style and was amazed that this was Ann Marie Stewart's debut fiction novel. To me if felt as if she had been writing for years and years with the way she portrayed the characters, the emotions, the healing and all the ugly in between.
I could not even imagine what it would be like to lose a child, especially a young child who is so full and vibrant with life and love to a tragic accident. How would I respond and react? Would my world completely crumble? Would I be able to keep moving forward through the pain and sorrow to care for my other children? I've had several dear friends have children die, as babies on up to teenagers/early twenties. These babies and youth were so loved and my heart broke and ached for these dear parents. My youngest is a couple years older than Joel, who is our little hero in the book who dies. Oh, I know this is fictional but it happens and it really shakes a family up. As I was reading I couldn't help but think about my little one and imagining not having her smile and laugh and silly antics and yes even the meltdowns to fill our days. Last year was a hard year as my family dealt with a near loss of a family member to having another family member tragically killed. So many emotions that have to be sorted through and allowed to process in our minds and hearts. The grief can be so all consuming. I think between those above mentioned experiences and watching friends lose their beloved children, this book really touched me and pulled on my heart strings.
Abby's father is the Reverend at their church. He is so strongly affected by the loss of his little boy that his ability to live and cope consists of waking, running, disappearing during his runs, coming home and disappearing to his little workshop. No more can he fathom preaching good news when his heart is breaking.
Abby's brother Matt feels so grief stricken he shuts off and walks away from everything he loved. He makes new friends, tries smoking and drugs and hides away all his pain. He pulls away from his relationship with Abby, the one who desperately needs her big brother to help her, but how can she help him.
Abby's mom is left trying to hold everyone and everything together when it feels like sand pouring through her fingers. She can't get a grasp on anything as it continues to slip away. Everyone is changed, she is changed and she has to keep embracing the new person that she is and hope that the rest of the family can also embrace who they have now become through this experience.
Our lives and who we are, they are in constant motion, ever changing. We are never going to be the same person we were a year ago, a day ago. Why? Because every experience we have changes us. We learn, we make a choice, those choices and moments enlighten us to how we want to make further changes. I loved watching that happen to these characters in this book. After last year, I am no longer the person I was then. I hold everyone closer, I reach out more to those loved ones and friends I've lost contact with because we never know who needs us, who else is hurting, who else is struggling to find the person they have become through hard moments in life.
This is so beautifully written. I feel it is something that middle school aged children should read. It's a tough read but very compelling. To be in the mind of little Abby, you could relate to the mind of any young child going through a loss in their lives, be it death, divorce, loss of friendships, hardships at school, anything that can affect them strongly emotionally.
This book does talk about God and Christ and life and loss. I loved it! I wanted to put it away at a couple points because of the emotions and wanting to but being unable to help Abby. And yet, I kept reading because I couldn't put it down. We were driving for a work trip for my husband and I read the whole time. I know and believe that death is not the end, and for me that brings peace and comfort even through the tragedy. I will be with my family again. I know not everyone believes what I believe and that's ok, whatever your beliefs I think this is one of those books that can be read and enjoyed by anyone of any religion or non-religious beliefs. Another book similar to this that I absolute loved was, Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie.
Here are a few quotes that I loved from this book(sorry if you're searching for the end of this review...I just had so many thoughts swirling through my mind and they kept coming as I sat down to write this).
The summer before I turned ten was idyllic-until August 3, 1970. At the time I didn't know what that word meant, not having heard it in a sermon or one of Mom's vocabulary lessons. But it perfectly describes a time when I thought the world was safe and good things lasted forever. What I couldn't know then, but try to remember now, is how fragile and delicate are the moments we most treasure, and if they break into pieces, repairing means seeing anew.
"Gossamer," she said softly. "What's that?" Matt asked. "Something delicate." Mom closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. "Sort of how this night feels." "Gossamer...," I whispered, trying it on for size.
The lady was a mind reader. How maddening. I frowned so hard it hurt.
If you had lots and lots of happiness, you didn't appreciate it; but if you had a sliver, it was worth so much more. Tonight we all had a sliver.
Five minus one divided by two equaled two, but we were lonely twosomes. If we were talking accounting, the minuses outweighed the plusses, and I missed being a family.
If Mom had hope, then I knew our painting had a source of light. I didn't know what it was, but something made the drab colors brighten.
"It kind of feels like this year slowed down, didn't it?" he asked. "Like there's a lot of gravity. The more gravity, the more time slows down." That made sense. Things had been pretty grave around here and definitely slow. Gravity.
And maybe this was what heaven felt like: when you wanted a moment to go on forever.
For any of you who have been through a dark tunnel, you know what it means when someone takes you by the hand and leads you to the light.
Was there a word bigger than hope?
I am like Joel. I never want good things to end. When I unwrap Christmas presents, I dread opening the last one. At night, when Mom scratches my back, I don't want her to leave until her tender caress soothes me to sleep and into my dreams. And how can I enjoy the Fourth of July fireworks when each explosion of color might mark the grand finale? It's almost as though I need to know exactly how long the light show will last so that I can anticipate the dark.
It was a silly thing to do, but we all lay down on the porch with our heads on the step below, for a moment looking at the world upside down to see what Joel saw. Joel's world, and now ours, was lit with twinkling lights flickering through the grass, a miracle simple enough to grasp in our hands and our hearts.
And I remember that when the world seems most upside down, sometimes, if you look, you can see stars in the grass.
Content: I think I disclosed that with my review, loss and healing and everything in between. Clean read with some religious aspects, mention of drug and alcohol use and the ill effects, a silly moment about where babies come from.
I received a copy from the publisher, Shiloh Run Press, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Happy Reading!!!
March 18, 2018
"Daddy! Daddy! Look!"
"Stars in the grass!"
Oh my. This book was incredible!
The Characters:
Abby - aww, I could completely relate to her. I loved her! <3 I love how she learns all these big words from her mom!! Big words that mean other small words!
Matt - I had to like him! I couldn't help it! He's a sweet older brother! I loved that one driving scene, even if it was rather tense!
Joel - Adorable! ;(
Dad - *cries* I felt so bad for him! It's easy to understand his difficulties and questions though.
Mom - Is it wrong to have mixed feelings for her? Some of the scenes I loved her and other scenes I didn't! She's still a good Mom!
Rita - a girl of few words! Loved her!
Miss Patti - I pictured her completely as Abby saw her - fat, like a balloon. Pretty awful. But she was funny though!!
The Story-line:
I really liked it!! Though it's quite a sad story-line, it's something that a lot of people probably go through, whether they lose someone they love or not!
Content:
One scene Abby is building a girl snowman and Matt wants to make it definite - There's also a couple times someone gets drunk, but no details.
All-in-all:
Amazing!! Definitely a re-read, and I'd advise you all to go read it if you haven't! And even if you have, go read it again, because I know I will again soon!! ;) So, go read it!
I can safely say this book can be recommended for younger readers, as the book is about a nine/ten-year-old girl.
"Stars in the grass!"
Oh my. This book was incredible!
The Characters:
Abby - aww, I could completely relate to her. I loved her! <3 I love how she learns all these big words from her mom!! Big words that mean other small words!
Matt - I had to like him! I couldn't help it! He's a sweet older brother! I loved that one driving scene, even if it was rather tense!
Joel - Adorable! ;(
Dad - *cries* I felt so bad for him! It's easy to understand his difficulties and questions though.
Mom - Is it wrong to have mixed feelings for her? Some of the scenes I loved her and other scenes I didn't! She's still a good Mom!
Rita - a girl of few words! Loved her!
Miss Patti - I pictured her completely as Abby saw her - fat, like a balloon. Pretty awful. But she was funny though!!
The Story-line:
I really liked it!! Though it's quite a sad story-line, it's something that a lot of people probably go through, whether they lose someone they love or not!
Content:
One scene Abby is building a girl snowman and Matt wants to make it definite - There's also a couple times someone gets drunk, but no details.
All-in-all:
Amazing!! Definitely a re-read, and I'd advise you all to go read it if you haven't! And even if you have, go read it again, because I know I will again soon!! ;) So, go read it!
I can safely say this book can be recommended for younger readers, as the book is about a nine/ten-year-old girl.
June 23, 2018
Hoo boy. No offense to anyone who loves this book; it just was not my style. I knew going in that it was going to make me cry, but I hoped that with the tragedy in the beginning, I'd be able to move past that and become happy again as the characters gradually healed.
Unfortunately, the healing didn't feel gradual. Everything stayed dark and sad for such a long time, getting worse and worse through most of the book. At several places, it seemed like a certain incident should trigger some kind of change for the better, but there really wasn't any positive change until very near the end. I'm sure it was very realistic for the kinds of grief that some people go through, but for me, it felt way too heavy for way too long.
I was especially frustrated with the parents in this story. Abby's mom was supposed to be the strong one who was trying to move on and hold things together, but some of her choices really bothered me. But most concerning to me was the fact that neither parent was even aware of the way that the kids were struggling until much too late.
If nine-year-old Abby could see the warning signs in Matt's behavior, then his parents definitely should have been able to. And once they did start noticing, they should have intervened and tried to correct it a lot sooner than they did. It also felt like Matt ended up helping Abby a whole lot more than either of her parents, which is pretty sad considering the condition his own life was in at the time. Honestly, I felt like I should have been incredibly frustrated with Matt for the decisions he was making, but all I could feel for him was pain, while my frustration with his parents for not reaching out to him and Abby pretty much suffocated my sympathy for them.
I didn't like that no one really helped Matt and Abby through the questions, fear, and guilt that were tormenting them. This may be just a personal preference, but when characters are hurting this deeply and especially carrying such deep guilt for what wasn't their fault, I like to see it dealt with, not left hanging. Again, these weren't the kinds of questions they could answer for each other; they really needed their parents.
I was also disappointed that all of Abby's questions, when she managed to voice them, were answered with a continual "I don't know." Yes, there are some things we don't know and will never know, and it's okay not to have all the answers. But it seemed like even her mom didn't try to cling to scripture, didn't try to go back to what she did know, and didn't model trust for her children. Yes, honesty is valuable, but Abby's parents should have been pointing her back to God, not dully repeating, "I don't know" every time she tried to talk about her feelings. Again, I'm sure this kind of thing does happen, but it's not healthy, and it's not the model I want to see in my fiction. I'd like to have at least seen the message move past "it's okay to question" to "we know Who has the answers."
The writing itself was very good, and I definitely empathized with Abby through the whole book; it was just much too heavy for my taste.
Content--people hit by car; death and heavy grief; mentions of drinking, drugs; teenage boy seen smoking cigarettes, drunk, hungover; ; swearing mentioned, two instances of profanity; description of the aftermath of a frank talk about intimacy with children; boy adds extra snowballs to make a "girl snowman"; mentions of children enjoying a rude acronym; child coaxed to say a word he mispronounces as a profanity; mentions of inappropriate movies; mentions of divorce; one Halloween scene
Unfortunately, the healing didn't feel gradual. Everything stayed dark and sad for such a long time, getting worse and worse through most of the book. At several places, it seemed like a certain incident should trigger some kind of change for the better, but there really wasn't any positive change until very near the end. I'm sure it was very realistic for the kinds of grief that some people go through, but for me, it felt way too heavy for way too long.
I was especially frustrated with the parents in this story. Abby's mom was supposed to be the strong one who was trying to move on and hold things together, but some of her choices really bothered me. But most concerning to me was the fact that neither parent was even aware of the way that the kids were struggling until much too late.
If nine-year-old Abby could see the warning signs in Matt's behavior, then his parents definitely should have been able to. And once they did start noticing, they should have intervened and tried to correct it a lot sooner than they did. It also felt like Matt ended up helping Abby a whole lot more than either of her parents, which is pretty sad considering the condition his own life was in at the time. Honestly, I felt like I should have been incredibly frustrated with Matt for the decisions he was making, but all I could feel for him was pain, while my frustration with his parents for not reaching out to him and Abby pretty much suffocated my sympathy for them.
I didn't like that no one really helped Matt and Abby through the questions, fear, and guilt that were tormenting them. This may be just a personal preference, but when characters are hurting this deeply and especially carrying such deep guilt for what wasn't their fault, I like to see it dealt with, not left hanging. Again, these weren't the kinds of questions they could answer for each other; they really needed their parents.
I was also disappointed that all of Abby's questions, when she managed to voice them, were answered with a continual "I don't know." Yes, there are some things we don't know and will never know, and it's okay not to have all the answers. But it seemed like even her mom didn't try to cling to scripture, didn't try to go back to what she did know, and didn't model trust for her children. Yes, honesty is valuable, but Abby's parents should have been pointing her back to God, not dully repeating, "I don't know" every time she tried to talk about her feelings. Again, I'm sure this kind of thing does happen, but it's not healthy, and it's not the model I want to see in my fiction. I'd like to have at least seen the message move past "it's okay to question" to "we know Who has the answers."
The writing itself was very good, and I definitely empathized with Abby through the whole book; it was just much too heavy for my taste.
Content--people hit by car; death and heavy grief; mentions of drinking, drugs; teenage boy seen smoking cigarettes, drunk, hungover; ; swearing mentioned, two instances of profanity; description of the aftermath of a frank talk about intimacy with children; boy adds extra snowballs to make a "girl snowman"; mentions of children enjoying a rude acronym; child coaxed to say a word he mispronounces as a profanity; mentions of inappropriate movies; mentions of divorce; one Halloween scene
October 31, 2017
If you are looking for a light and uplifting novel, this isn't it. If you enjoy reading about how everyday people work through the muck of losing an immediate family member, Stars in the Grass is for you.
In this debut, the main character is middle child Abigail. The setting is 1970s Ohio. The author does a nice job of speaking through the perspective of a nine year old. My favorite character though was Matthew, Abigail's older brother. He was a bit like a diamond in the rough.
This journey back to life after a loss was well written. I look forward to what this debut novelist will offer next.
In this debut, the main character is middle child Abigail. The setting is 1970s Ohio. The author does a nice job of speaking through the perspective of a nine year old. My favorite character though was Matthew, Abigail's older brother. He was a bit like a diamond in the rough.
This journey back to life after a loss was well written. I look forward to what this debut novelist will offer next.
August 31, 2017
Oh my goodness. I needed to read this book when I did. Talk about so many emotions!!
Five stars because....
-This author writes so much like Ann Tatlock. Little details are made fun and interesting, and sometimes the writing style almost is lyrical. Love it!
-The younger POV. That just makes it even more interesting seeing inside head of a nine year old, and although she's young, her feelings were so real and I could understand exactly how she felt about things.
-The progress. Most of the book is like a bomb, except that it explodes slowly. Abby's family try to cope through a situation, and it only worsens as they try to overcome the dark days. But you know, there's always light...there's always hope, and by the end I just smiled because I could understand those dark days so well.
-The characters. Abby's parents and her brother, Matt, each had their issues but the author presented each of them so well. And their search for understanding God's ways was difficult to read, but yet, it was so realistic. I also loved Miss Patti...she was so sweet. And all the other characters sprinkled throughout were unique and interesting.
-There's no romance theme. More and more I'm appreciating books like this. So yeah, love is talked about, and there is love shown between Abby's parents, but you don't read the book like, "Come on, we knew so-and-so were going to get together all along." Nope, nothing like that at all, and it was a nice change (even if I do like good romances!!). Abby's mother did have a conversation with Abby and her brother about having kids, so some younger readers might want to be aware of that.
-The prologue. I'm telling you, that prologue was amazing. The title and bookcover came to light before my eyes and I just could have sobbed. Sooo many emotions!
This list could be rather extensive, but I'll leave it at that. Needless to say, I love this book and definitely want to read it again soon! I didn't agree with ever aspect of the Presbyterian teachings in this book, but I was pleased that the author showed Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and His forgiveness of our sins.
Five stars because....
-This author writes so much like Ann Tatlock. Little details are made fun and interesting, and sometimes the writing style almost is lyrical. Love it!
-The younger POV. That just makes it even more interesting seeing inside head of a nine year old, and although she's young, her feelings were so real and I could understand exactly how she felt about things.
-The progress. Most of the book is like a bomb, except that it explodes slowly. Abby's family try to cope through a situation, and it only worsens as they try to overcome the dark days. But you know, there's always light...there's always hope, and by the end I just smiled because I could understand those dark days so well.
-The characters. Abby's parents and her brother, Matt, each had their issues but the author presented each of them so well. And their search for understanding God's ways was difficult to read, but yet, it was so realistic. I also loved Miss Patti...she was so sweet. And all the other characters sprinkled throughout were unique and interesting.
-There's no romance theme. More and more I'm appreciating books like this. So yeah, love is talked about, and there is love shown between Abby's parents, but you don't read the book like, "Come on, we knew so-and-so were going to get together all along." Nope, nothing like that at all, and it was a nice change (even if I do like good romances!!). Abby's mother did have a conversation with Abby and her brother about having kids, so some younger readers might want to be aware of that.
-The prologue. I'm telling you, that prologue was amazing. The title and bookcover came to light before my eyes and I just could have sobbed. Sooo many emotions!
This list could be rather extensive, but I'll leave it at that. Needless to say, I love this book and definitely want to read it again soon! I didn't agree with ever aspect of the Presbyterian teachings in this book, but I was pleased that the author showed Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and His forgiveness of our sins.
February 7, 2017
The McAndrews family was enjoying their first family vacation. Life's simple pleasures and carefree time spent together were all that they needed. Then, the unthinkable happened and they endured a horrible tragedy and loss. The story is told through Abby's nine-year-old, perceptive, observant and compassionate voice.
I loved the friendship that Abby and Rita shared. They weren't just playmates, but true best friends. They shared a perceptive, forgiving and accepting friendship.
I enjoyed the character of Miss Patti. Even though she had quietly suffered a tremendous personal loss, she was able to reach out, love on and care for her hurting neighbors. Miss Patti reminded me of the value of "other moms" who are able to love "other children" as their own.
This was a journey from a place of deep grief, guilt and sadness to a place of quiet rest, sweet comfort and re-discovered joy. This was about almost losing faith, but then finding it once again at the lighted end of a dark tunnel. Hope had snuck up on Abby and then spread to the rest of her family. Even though they were still hurting, there was room for hope.
A wonderfully written, worthwhile and satisfying read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.
I loved the friendship that Abby and Rita shared. They weren't just playmates, but true best friends. They shared a perceptive, forgiving and accepting friendship.
I enjoyed the character of Miss Patti. Even though she had quietly suffered a tremendous personal loss, she was able to reach out, love on and care for her hurting neighbors. Miss Patti reminded me of the value of "other moms" who are able to love "other children" as their own.
This was a journey from a place of deep grief, guilt and sadness to a place of quiet rest, sweet comfort and re-discovered joy. This was about almost losing faith, but then finding it once again at the lighted end of a dark tunnel. Hope had snuck up on Abby and then spread to the rest of her family. Even though they were still hurting, there was room for hope.
A wonderfully written, worthwhile and satisfying read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.
March 1, 2017
FTC DISCLAIMER: I RECEIVED AN E-ARC FROM THE PUBLISHER THROUGH NET GALLEY. I VOLUNTARILY OFFER MY HONEST REVIEW OF THE BOOK, THOUGH IT IS NOT EXPECTED OF ME! RECEIPT OF THIS BOOK IN THIS MANNER DOES NOT AFFECT MY OPINION OF THE BOOK OR THE CONTENT OF MY REVIEW!
I wasn't sure what to expect when I was approached to read this book. It is a very heart-wrenching look at how grief can affect a family when tragedy strikes. It had a unique point of view, and felt very realistic, but I was ultimately forcing my way through the story. I found it to be a very dull, but well-written read.
It does have a faith aspect, so I would definitely recommend it for church libraries, but I'm not really sure I'd recommend it to a casual reader.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I was approached to read this book. It is a very heart-wrenching look at how grief can affect a family when tragedy strikes. It had a unique point of view, and felt very realistic, but I was ultimately forcing my way through the story. I found it to be a very dull, but well-written read.
It does have a faith aspect, so I would definitely recommend it for church libraries, but I'm not really sure I'd recommend it to a casual reader.
January 23, 2017
A beautiful emotional book that captured my heart.
Stars in the grass is a remarkable book with characters that draw you in to their life as if you were there. The book is told in the setting of 1970 in a small town. The handling of tragedy by a family in the words of a nine year old touched my heart. It was good to know about the many questions that come up in life and to know that not having answers is just a step on the journey of faith. This book definitely made an impact on my life. I gave it a five star rating because that is the highest rating I was allowed. I am fascinated by the way Ann Marie Stewart puts words together in such an amazing way to touch the heart and inspire the spirit to live after tragedy. You will be blessed if you choose to read this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.
Stars in the grass is a remarkable book with characters that draw you in to their life as if you were there. The book is told in the setting of 1970 in a small town. The handling of tragedy by a family in the words of a nine year old touched my heart. It was good to know about the many questions that come up in life and to know that not having answers is just a step on the journey of faith. This book definitely made an impact on my life. I gave it a five star rating because that is the highest rating I was allowed. I am fascinated by the way Ann Marie Stewart puts words together in such an amazing way to touch the heart and inspire the spirit to live after tragedy. You will be blessed if you choose to read this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.
April 1, 2017
Stewart tells a compelling story of a nine year old little girl and her family who must walk through a dark time in their life, and the struggles that comes with. The story is told through the eyes of nine-year-old Abby. And Stewart puts you right in little Abby's shoes. This is where a good storyteller, and a great storyteller are made.
Stewart is GREAT storyteller. You become little Abby. You feel her grief and pain, her heartache.
This is a wonderful book that allows you to discover with sensitivity the different paths that each of Abby's family members will take. The spiritual aspect of the story. And most importantly, the faith that it will take to see them all through heartbreak.
With faith in God, and allowing Him to work in their lives, they will come through their tragedy. Changed, it's true. But they will survive, and without losing hope and their trust in the Almighty.
I rate this book FIVE STARS.
I give it a BIG THUMBS UP!
And I give my personal RECOMMENDATION.
Stewart is GREAT storyteller. You become little Abby. You feel her grief and pain, her heartache.
This is a wonderful book that allows you to discover with sensitivity the different paths that each of Abby's family members will take. The spiritual aspect of the story. And most importantly, the faith that it will take to see them all through heartbreak.
With faith in God, and allowing Him to work in their lives, they will come through their tragedy. Changed, it's true. But they will survive, and without losing hope and their trust in the Almighty.
I rate this book FIVE STARS.
I give it a BIG THUMBS UP!
And I give my personal RECOMMENDATION.
September 2, 2017
On a family vacation (their first) Pastor McAndrews, wife Renee and children Matt (15) Abby (9) and Joel (4) are having a fantastic time until a car runs into the group and Joel is killed. The remainder of the book tells in excruciating detail how the family members deal with their guilt and grief. The driver of the car is never mentioned again. Did McAndrews lose his faith? Did he ever regain it? I'm not sure. Stewart originally wrote this as a short story for a creative writing class. Maybe it should have stayed a short story, there just isn't enough plot for a novel. I'm always on the lookout for Christian fiction I can recommend to others. This isn't it.
May 26, 2024
2.5 stars.
This was a new to me author and I have to say I was not a big fan of this book. I knew going into reading this book that it was not going to be a happy book and that it was going to cover grief so I was expecting to feel sad and even cry but I just did not connect to the storyline or to any of the characters so it didn’t make me feel anything really.
I know that everyone handles grief in many different ways but seeing how in this book the nine year old girl is the most mature out of everyone including both of their parents, that was just really disappointing and annoying to read.
I really wish that I could have liked and enjoyed reading this book more but sadly I didn’t. I will say I don’t think it’s a bad book it just wasn’t for me and that’s okay.
This was a new to me author and I have to say I was not a big fan of this book. I knew going into reading this book that it was not going to be a happy book and that it was going to cover grief so I was expecting to feel sad and even cry but I just did not connect to the storyline or to any of the characters so it didn’t make me feel anything really.
I know that everyone handles grief in many different ways but seeing how in this book the nine year old girl is the most mature out of everyone including both of their parents, that was just really disappointing and annoying to read.
I really wish that I could have liked and enjoyed reading this book more but sadly I didn’t. I will say I don’t think it’s a bad book it just wasn’t for me and that’s okay.
February 16, 2018
This is a story that will stay with you long after "the end". While it's about the loss of a child, and how a family deals with the aftermath...or rather the way they don't deal with it for a long time, it's also a story of hope.
I got so caught up in the story that I stayed up much later than I meant to. I really identified with Abby. Ann Marie Stewart really captured the thoughts and feelings of an eleven-year-old. In fact, she captured each member of the family perfectly. Sometimes, watching the brother in the story was like watching a train wreck about to happen.
I greatly admire Stewart's ability to pull the reader into the world of the McAndrews. Great story, extremely well-written and an ending that fits perfectly. I highly recommend it.
I got so caught up in the story that I stayed up much later than I meant to. I really identified with Abby. Ann Marie Stewart really captured the thoughts and feelings of an eleven-year-old. In fact, she captured each member of the family perfectly. Sometimes, watching the brother in the story was like watching a train wreck about to happen.
I greatly admire Stewart's ability to pull the reader into the world of the McAndrews. Great story, extremely well-written and an ending that fits perfectly. I highly recommend it.
March 2, 2018
This was a very short book. It is very important to tell your loved ones that you love them and treat them kindly. One never knows how quickly life passes and in an instant tragedy can strike. The characters in this book are still dealing with the results of an unforgettable event.
March 14, 2017
I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is raw, moving and stunning tale from the perspective of Abby. A bright young girl with a broken heart and broken family. After a tragic accident, this family tries to put the pieces back together, but can't seem to find their way. The writing in this story is excellent. It will make you view matters in your own life differently.
June 16, 2019
One idyllic summer ends in tragedy for the McAndrews family. Will they allow God to heal the painful places to make them whole again?
Being the first ever book I’ve read by this author, I wasn’t familiar with her work. She quickly took me by surprise by how well-written this is! Told by the viewpoint of nine year old Abby, it was quite different but yet perfect for the feel of this novel. Her views of life are those from that awkward middle stage between no longer being a kid, but yet not quite a teenager either. She views life in that perfect age of innocence. Until that fateful day when everything changes and nothing is the same again. Seeing her family suffer under the weight of grief and guilt, she feels at a loss for what to do or feel herself. Watching the family seemingly unravel has a huge impact on how quickly she must grow up, as begrudging as she is to do it. There is a stage in their lives where there are more questions than answers for everyone. Even though they know Who the answer giver is, they are clouded by deep-seated grief and the inability to move forward. As ominous as this sounds, the author also portrays the healing gift of hope. Even if it is as small as the mustard seed at first, as I read further on, I began to see that seed slowly grow and flourish. This is not a book that sugar coats what it’s like to lose a loved one, or what each individual person will go through, or even how long it will take to overcome grief. This will tug at your heart, tearing it in two sometimes and making you want to reach out to put the pieces together for the McAndrews. I went through every imaginable emotion known to human kind, and from the beginning it drew me in like the fireflies they used to catch in the summer. I could hardly put this down, quickly devouring each page. This was never depressing, just a raw look at real life while giving glimpses of that hope in God. In the end, I think the family was stronger for having gone through the hard times…TOGETHER. They still had questions, but they were making huge strides on moving forward in His grace & mercy. Raw emotion, poignant, gritty real life, with hope poured over it all, I can’t recommend this enough. If you only read one book this year, make it “Stars in the Grass”!
*I received a complimentary copy from Barbour Publishing. No review was required and all opinions expressed here are strictly my own.*
Being the first ever book I’ve read by this author, I wasn’t familiar with her work. She quickly took me by surprise by how well-written this is! Told by the viewpoint of nine year old Abby, it was quite different but yet perfect for the feel of this novel. Her views of life are those from that awkward middle stage between no longer being a kid, but yet not quite a teenager either. She views life in that perfect age of innocence. Until that fateful day when everything changes and nothing is the same again. Seeing her family suffer under the weight of grief and guilt, she feels at a loss for what to do or feel herself. Watching the family seemingly unravel has a huge impact on how quickly she must grow up, as begrudging as she is to do it. There is a stage in their lives where there are more questions than answers for everyone. Even though they know Who the answer giver is, they are clouded by deep-seated grief and the inability to move forward. As ominous as this sounds, the author also portrays the healing gift of hope. Even if it is as small as the mustard seed at first, as I read further on, I began to see that seed slowly grow and flourish. This is not a book that sugar coats what it’s like to lose a loved one, or what each individual person will go through, or even how long it will take to overcome grief. This will tug at your heart, tearing it in two sometimes and making you want to reach out to put the pieces together for the McAndrews. I went through every imaginable emotion known to human kind, and from the beginning it drew me in like the fireflies they used to catch in the summer. I could hardly put this down, quickly devouring each page. This was never depressing, just a raw look at real life while giving glimpses of that hope in God. In the end, I think the family was stronger for having gone through the hard times…TOGETHER. They still had questions, but they were making huge strides on moving forward in His grace & mercy. Raw emotion, poignant, gritty real life, with hope poured over it all, I can’t recommend this enough. If you only read one book this year, make it “Stars in the Grass”!
*I received a complimentary copy from Barbour Publishing. No review was required and all opinions expressed here are strictly my own.*
December 12, 2016
I have never had a book have me in tears from the first chapters, but I was only half an hour into the book and already I was crying. In some respects I was angry with the author, but as I read on, I understood there was no other way to tell the story, but honestly, killing a three-year-old boy off in the first chapters was beyond the pale.
Now that my rant is out of the way, Stars in the Grass is one of the most masterfully told tales I've read in a while. Ann Marie Stewart takes a tragedy that could destroy a family and works little by little to bring the family closer together, but not without quite a few struggles. As the readers become more and more acquainted with the characters, they will be able to empathize with the feelings of hurt and anger the family feels in this drama, and they will see how a ten year old girl will be the catalyst for healing in the family.
Amazon's synopsis sums up the book quite well:
The idyllic world of nine-year-old Abby McAndrews is transformed when a tragedy tears her family apart. Before the accident, her dad, Reverend John McAndrews, had all the answers, but now his questions and guilt threaten to destroy his family. Abby’s fifteen-year-old brother, Matt, begins an angry descent as he acts out in dangerous ways. Her mother tries to hold her grieving family together, but when Abby’s dad refuses to move on, the family is at a crossroads. Set in a small Midwestern town in 1970, Abby’s heartbreaking remembrances are balanced by humor and nostalgia as her family struggles with—and ultimately celebrates—an authentic story of faith and life after loss.
It just doesn't tell how well Ann Marie Stewart told the story, how deeply her characters were developed and how the settings within the book made the story all the more real. I grew up in the South and like Abby, I caught fireflies almost every summer evening. I live in the Northwest now, and I miss what I called "lightning bugs" when I was growing up.
I wish I could give this book more than five stars, but the other websites where I post only allow five. Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a mason jar full of fireflies on a summer night.
My thanks to Shiloh Run Press for allowing me to read and review this book.
Now that my rant is out of the way, Stars in the Grass is one of the most masterfully told tales I've read in a while. Ann Marie Stewart takes a tragedy that could destroy a family and works little by little to bring the family closer together, but not without quite a few struggles. As the readers become more and more acquainted with the characters, they will be able to empathize with the feelings of hurt and anger the family feels in this drama, and they will see how a ten year old girl will be the catalyst for healing in the family.
Amazon's synopsis sums up the book quite well:
The idyllic world of nine-year-old Abby McAndrews is transformed when a tragedy tears her family apart. Before the accident, her dad, Reverend John McAndrews, had all the answers, but now his questions and guilt threaten to destroy his family. Abby’s fifteen-year-old brother, Matt, begins an angry descent as he acts out in dangerous ways. Her mother tries to hold her grieving family together, but when Abby’s dad refuses to move on, the family is at a crossroads. Set in a small Midwestern town in 1970, Abby’s heartbreaking remembrances are balanced by humor and nostalgia as her family struggles with—and ultimately celebrates—an authentic story of faith and life after loss.
It just doesn't tell how well Ann Marie Stewart told the story, how deeply her characters were developed and how the settings within the book made the story all the more real. I grew up in the South and like Abby, I caught fireflies almost every summer evening. I live in the Northwest now, and I miss what I called "lightning bugs" when I was growing up.
I wish I could give this book more than five stars, but the other websites where I post only allow five. Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a mason jar full of fireflies on a summer night.
My thanks to Shiloh Run Press for allowing me to read and review this book.
February 6, 2017
In a word I would say that Stars in the Grass is riveting. If you were to only read the prologue and the epilogue you would think that the book contains a lovely story about an ordinary family. You would think that life was an easy thing for them, full of funny scenarios and beautiful moments that made for an unbreakable family bond.
What is contained on the pages between those two portions is more realistic. Life is unpredictable. One moment you think things couldn't be more perfect and then out of nowhere things suddenly change. That's how a lazy vacation day happened for the McAndrews family. One moment they were leasurely walking along the roadside after spending a day at the beach and then suddenly their lives were changed completely and forever.
The story is told through the voice and perspective of Abby. She's a darling nine-year-old girl that suddenly finds herself carrying the weight of her family on her shoulders. In the midst of all the grief she gets lost and the story of how she makes it through is heartbreaking at times. I found myself wanting to reach into the story and hold her tight.
While this is a story of tragedy and contains very depressing moments there is also a consistent glimmer of hope throughout. I found it interesting to look in at this family from the outside. As the reader I was able to see how the family was surrounded and loved even when they didn't have the capacity to accept and flourish in that love. In a note from the author she expresses that she hopes that the reader will see their story in Abby's. I certainly did and I think you will too.
This is Ann Stewart's debut novel and I am looking forward to reading her next. Her writing style evokes strong emotions and as the reader you can't help but be drawn into the lives of the characters. I'm looking forward to sharing this book with my reading group. If you have a book club there are discussion questions in the back that would make for some deep and thought provoking discussion.
I received a copy of this book to facilitate my review.
What is contained on the pages between those two portions is more realistic. Life is unpredictable. One moment you think things couldn't be more perfect and then out of nowhere things suddenly change. That's how a lazy vacation day happened for the McAndrews family. One moment they were leasurely walking along the roadside after spending a day at the beach and then suddenly their lives were changed completely and forever.
The story is told through the voice and perspective of Abby. She's a darling nine-year-old girl that suddenly finds herself carrying the weight of her family on her shoulders. In the midst of all the grief she gets lost and the story of how she makes it through is heartbreaking at times. I found myself wanting to reach into the story and hold her tight.
While this is a story of tragedy and contains very depressing moments there is also a consistent glimmer of hope throughout. I found it interesting to look in at this family from the outside. As the reader I was able to see how the family was surrounded and loved even when they didn't have the capacity to accept and flourish in that love. In a note from the author she expresses that she hopes that the reader will see their story in Abby's. I certainly did and I think you will too.
This is Ann Stewart's debut novel and I am looking forward to reading her next. Her writing style evokes strong emotions and as the reader you can't help but be drawn into the lives of the characters. I'm looking forward to sharing this book with my reading group. If you have a book club there are discussion questions in the back that would make for some deep and thought provoking discussion.
I received a copy of this book to facilitate my review.
February 6, 2017
I did something I don't normally do before reading a book I'm to review. I read other reviews first and to be quite honest it made me unsure if I wanted to read the book. Why? Well, the reviews made the book seems depressing and sad and I don't like to read books that fall into those two categories. Since I had agreed to read and review the book for the publisher I put aside my thoughts and started reading.
The premise of this book is quite simple: the struggles of a family to move on after tragedy strikes. The story is told through the eyes of nine-year-old Abigail, or Abby. The story isn't told in a childish voice though as Abby was almost wise beyond her years. She is very observant and almost seemed to be another victim of the tragedy as her family at times was on the verge of spiraling out of control.
I thought the story seemed very realistic. The characters actions and feelings came across as realistic and not romanticized or exaggerated in any way. The story is basically the everyday events in this family's lives and how each responded to grief in their own way. Each family member dealt with their grief in a different way and I thought that made the story seem more genuine.
The author's writing style and way of telling a story made it easy to get "into" the story and stay interested until the end. The story flowed easily from chapter to chapter. While the story is sad and a bit depressing at times I found it easy to read and didn't find myself wanting to put the book down.
This was a well-written book but just not my type of everyday read. If you are looking for a break from the genre you normally read or are wanting a bit of a sad read then pick up this book. You might find yourself enjoying it.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a review.
The premise of this book is quite simple: the struggles of a family to move on after tragedy strikes. The story is told through the eyes of nine-year-old Abigail, or Abby. The story isn't told in a childish voice though as Abby was almost wise beyond her years. She is very observant and almost seemed to be another victim of the tragedy as her family at times was on the verge of spiraling out of control.
I thought the story seemed very realistic. The characters actions and feelings came across as realistic and not romanticized or exaggerated in any way. The story is basically the everyday events in this family's lives and how each responded to grief in their own way. Each family member dealt with their grief in a different way and I thought that made the story seem more genuine.
The author's writing style and way of telling a story made it easy to get "into" the story and stay interested until the end. The story flowed easily from chapter to chapter. While the story is sad and a bit depressing at times I found it easy to read and didn't find myself wanting to put the book down.
This was a well-written book but just not my type of everyday read. If you are looking for a break from the genre you normally read or are wanting a bit of a sad read then pick up this book. You might find yourself enjoying it.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a review.
February 5, 2017
When you close the last chapter of this book it will leave you wondering. What if this happened in my family? How would I deal with such a tragic loss? Would I run from God or would I run to God?
This book is told from a nine-year-old Abby McAndrews view point. Her family seemed like the perfect family. She is a preacher's kid. What family doesn't seem perfect at that age? Until the day her little brother is taken from them. Then her family unravels. Her oldest brother rebels, her father runs, and her mother tries to hold it all together. Abby? She really is not handling losing her brother.
This is a tragic story that is all to real in my own life. Coincidentally, I was just a baby in 1969, when my three-year-old brother was struck by a milk truck. Miraculously he was not killed but his brain was permanently damaged. Then another tragedy hit us last year, my son-in-law's three-year-old nephew was pushed down the stairs and died. If I had really known what this story was about, I may not have read it but I did finish it. At the end of all our stories, there is healing. We just need to reach for it.
The McAndrews' had to go through a lot of steps to finally reach the place of healing and to see God in that healing.
I applaud Ann Marie Stewart for writing this story. This is not a story for those that are faint of heart. It is courage at its best!
Disclosure statement
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.
This book is told from a nine-year-old Abby McAndrews view point. Her family seemed like the perfect family. She is a preacher's kid. What family doesn't seem perfect at that age? Until the day her little brother is taken from them. Then her family unravels. Her oldest brother rebels, her father runs, and her mother tries to hold it all together. Abby? She really is not handling losing her brother.
This is a tragic story that is all to real in my own life. Coincidentally, I was just a baby in 1969, when my three-year-old brother was struck by a milk truck. Miraculously he was not killed but his brain was permanently damaged. Then another tragedy hit us last year, my son-in-law's three-year-old nephew was pushed down the stairs and died. If I had really known what this story was about, I may not have read it but I did finish it. At the end of all our stories, there is healing. We just need to reach for it.
The McAndrews' had to go through a lot of steps to finally reach the place of healing and to see God in that healing.
I applaud Ann Marie Stewart for writing this story. This is not a story for those that are faint of heart. It is courage at its best!
Disclosure statement
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.
February 1, 2017
Stars in the Grass by Ann Marie Stewart is the story of nine year old Abby McAndrews and her family. While on vacation in the summer of 1970, the family suffers a devastating loss which lives the family scrambling to learn to live in this new life. Her mother, Renee, seems determine to grieve and move on. Her father, John, seems stuck in that moment and refuses to return to his life and job as before. Her older brother, Matt, begins down a destructive path. And Abby is trying to makes sense of everything around her as well as process her own grief and sense of guilt. Told in a year’s time, the family goes through the holidays and community events trying to live life as before. With each passing day, the family tensions grow more and more until the threat of explosion is imminent. Can the family come together and heal? Or will they be torn apart by their grief?
Stars in the Grass is a story of grief and healing. Even though it takes place in 1970/1971, the story could easily happen today. The different responses to grief are very real and the pain seems to leap off the page straight to the reader’s heart. The reader will ache with the Renee, John, Matt and Abby as they try to make sense of what happen. The reader will cry tears of sadness with the family and they will laugh with them as they seem to come to grips with their new reality. I recommend Stars in the Grass as a story of grief and healing in the face of unspeakable tragedy and how those around you can help you heal.
Stars in the Grass
is available today
on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle
and
on Barnes and Noble in paperback and on Nook
Stars in the Grass is a story of grief and healing. Even though it takes place in 1970/1971, the story could easily happen today. The different responses to grief are very real and the pain seems to leap off the page straight to the reader’s heart. The reader will ache with the Renee, John, Matt and Abby as they try to make sense of what happen. The reader will cry tears of sadness with the family and they will laugh with them as they seem to come to grips with their new reality. I recommend Stars in the Grass as a story of grief and healing in the face of unspeakable tragedy and how those around you can help you heal.
Stars in the Grass
is available today
on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle
and
on Barnes and Noble in paperback and on Nook
February 6, 2017
This book is a plus for me because it's told in 1st person and that would be 9 year old Abby.
This book is very emotional and will have you crying in most places of the book as the family struggles through the death of a loved one.
Abby and Matt took it the hardest especially Abby. I felt like they left her out of everything as each one tried to grieve on their own.
I can relate to Abby in many ways. Grief strikes each person differently and grief has no time.
Like Abbys dad says there is a place and time for everything and a time to heal and a time for growth.
He also said that God didn't run away from him, He ran away from God.
I think in some ways God was tryingto teach him a lesson becausehe uswd to bave all the answers. But, when tragedy happens he suddenly doesn't have all the answers and he doesnt know how to handle it all.
Renee is stuck in between and isnt sure what to do next. It seems she has moved on but yet not moved on. It seems as if she's waiting on something.
Time heals all wounds but sometimes it doesn't. There are 5 stages of grief but I've forgotten what they are and maybe this family did go through those five stages.
I can relate to this book in many ways because I have lost loved ones too.
I recommend this book very strongly.
This story is in mid western Ohio town in the 1970's. I grew up in this time period and was an instant hit for me. I was 3 in 1970
This book is very emotional and will have you crying in most places of the book as the family struggles through the death of a loved one.
Abby and Matt took it the hardest especially Abby. I felt like they left her out of everything as each one tried to grieve on their own.
I can relate to Abby in many ways. Grief strikes each person differently and grief has no time.
Like Abbys dad says there is a place and time for everything and a time to heal and a time for growth.
He also said that God didn't run away from him, He ran away from God.
I think in some ways God was tryingto teach him a lesson becausehe uswd to bave all the answers. But, when tragedy happens he suddenly doesn't have all the answers and he doesnt know how to handle it all.
Renee is stuck in between and isnt sure what to do next. It seems she has moved on but yet not moved on. It seems as if she's waiting on something.
Time heals all wounds but sometimes it doesn't. There are 5 stages of grief but I've forgotten what they are and maybe this family did go through those five stages.
I can relate to this book in many ways because I have lost loved ones too.
I recommend this book very strongly.
This story is in mid western Ohio town in the 1970's. I grew up in this time period and was an instant hit for me. I was 3 in 1970
February 12, 2017
Stars in the Grass is a tender story of one family's journey after a tremendous loss. Told by the nine year old daughter, Abby McAndrews, each member handles the tragedy with different emotions, actions, and faith in God. Abby's curious mind, growing vocabulary, and sense of humor makes this book poignant, insightful, and moving.
Abby's dad, John is the minister of a Presbyterian church which adds to the dynamics of their upheaval as a family. The turmoil in their home is heightened by Abby's brother's secret escapades. "Dad frowned and exhaled slowly, the receiver in his hand. He was used to answering other people's problems not phoning with the problem."
Doubt in God, anger, and grief fill their relationships with unexpected outcomes and may tear them apart. Will they find a way to pull together? What happens to a family whose loss is unimaginable? My heart ached for the McAndrews. Would they seek the God they thought they knew before tragedy hit?
I hope you will chose to put Stars in the Grass on your "to be read" list.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. I want to thank them for the opportunity to read this fine novel by Ann Marie Stewart!
Abby's dad, John is the minister of a Presbyterian church which adds to the dynamics of their upheaval as a family. The turmoil in their home is heightened by Abby's brother's secret escapades. "Dad frowned and exhaled slowly, the receiver in his hand. He was used to answering other people's problems not phoning with the problem."
Doubt in God, anger, and grief fill their relationships with unexpected outcomes and may tear them apart. Will they find a way to pull together? What happens to a family whose loss is unimaginable? My heart ached for the McAndrews. Would they seek the God they thought they knew before tragedy hit?
I hope you will chose to put Stars in the Grass on your "to be read" list.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. I want to thank them for the opportunity to read this fine novel by Ann Marie Stewart!
February 16, 2017
My first thought upon finishing this book, was "man, that was a sad book." But don't let that stop you from reading the book...... it is worth reading.
It isn't giving any spoilers away to say this: There is a death of a small child at the start of the book, and the rest of the book is about the remaining family dealing with that death. Though the book is fictional, I feel the author did a great job of presenting how different family members might deal with such a tragedy.
I did find the book sad, but it was an interesting and entertaining read. I wish the author had wrapped up the end of the book a little better. I was left wondering about some things she didn't cover, and it also ended abruptly in my thinking.
The author was new to me, but I liked the book well enough that I would read another by her.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
It isn't giving any spoilers away to say this: There is a death of a small child at the start of the book, and the rest of the book is about the remaining family dealing with that death. Though the book is fictional, I feel the author did a great job of presenting how different family members might deal with such a tragedy.
I did find the book sad, but it was an interesting and entertaining read. I wish the author had wrapped up the end of the book a little better. I was left wondering about some things she didn't cover, and it also ended abruptly in my thinking.
The author was new to me, but I liked the book well enough that I would read another by her.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
February 7, 2017
This story steals your heart right from the beginning. I loved that it was told through the eyes of a young girl as this is the most innocent of perspectives. While the loss of a child is such a sad thing what is heartening in this story is how family and friends kept coming back baring their souls to help support the family and bring them back to faith. They shared their stories and losses and perspectives which required them to relive it. It rings so true that it is hard to review as a fictional story. While the story is a difficult one it is filled with lessons of love and the restoration of faith. A good read.
September 14, 2018
Seems so real!
I enjoyed this book immensely! I could relate to so many issues in this book making it seem so real. It was easy for me to picture the scenarios with familiar descriptions. A very moving story!
I enjoyed this book immensely! I could relate to so many issues in this book making it seem so real. It was easy for me to picture the scenarios with familiar descriptions. A very moving story!
May 8, 2017
***an emotional tale of 'before and after' wrapped with touches of realism & humor***
Ann Marie Stewart’s debut novel captures readers with a sensitive portrayal of how one family survived and coped with loss, anger and grief. The unique first-person account is narrated from the captivating viewpoint of nine-year-old daughter Abigail McAndrews who shares the family's cascading emotions with moving insight, nostalgic remembrances and subtle touches of humor.
Each one struggles with tragedy differently, from Abby’s father, minister of the Presbyterian Church, to her mother and brothers, fifteen-year-old Matt and three-year-old Joel. Caused by a tragic event that changed and challenged each one and made them question God and what the future holds—except for one.
Yet when they left home for the family's first ever vacation together there wasn't a hint of the tragedy to come. Instead they felt blessed and excited to "dig clams, build sand castles and splash in tide pools" when they arrived at Birch Bay, Washington.
While Abby's mom prepared a meal around the campfire the first night, the rest of the family went to the nearby amusement park and three-year-old Joel proudly announced to his mother on his return, "I rode 'wiff' Matt" on the Ferris Wheel. That night the family lay in a "circle, their feet to the fire like spokes" on a wheel, listening to the sounds of "waves lapping the shore" and watching the stars never suspecting what tomorrow would bring or how much they would wish to turn the clock back.
Before they left the next day, the family "strolled the remaining crescent of the beach" pressed in on one side by the incoming tide and "cars inching along the road" on the other. Joel was tired, his nap time long past and he asked Matt to "Carry me 'pwease'" and his brother quickly obliged.
Mom warned Matt Joel would "fall asleep and let go" so Dad took the tired little boy who then settled his legs around his Dad's waist and "nestled his head beneath his chin." It would be the family's last happy moment. Just then a "Chevy swerved off the road, hit Dad and Joel was thrown into the Chevy's windshield and his small blonde head bounced onto the road bed.
Thus begins one family's story of doubt, anger and grief wrapped with realism and touches of humor in their long journey of healing. That was when time for the family became “before and after” where a family learns the world is sometimes not safe and good things don't always last forever; an emotional time of doubt and testing—of beliefs, relationships and ideals on a journey of faith that sometimes spirals out of control.
I was very impressed with Ann Marie's warm and genuine characterizations of Abby, the family and the tragedy that almost tore them apart. This well-written story will appeal to all ages and I look forward to more fiction from this author.
'Stars in the Grass,' by Ann Marie Stewart, Barbour Books, 2017, 320 Pages, 978-1634099509, $14.99
“Gail’s Bookshelf” Midwest Book Reviews: April 2017
FaceBook: Gail Welborn
Google+GailWelborn
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Ann Marie Stewart’s debut novel captures readers with a sensitive portrayal of how one family survived and coped with loss, anger and grief. The unique first-person account is narrated from the captivating viewpoint of nine-year-old daughter Abigail McAndrews who shares the family's cascading emotions with moving insight, nostalgic remembrances and subtle touches of humor.
Each one struggles with tragedy differently, from Abby’s father, minister of the Presbyterian Church, to her mother and brothers, fifteen-year-old Matt and three-year-old Joel. Caused by a tragic event that changed and challenged each one and made them question God and what the future holds—except for one.
Yet when they left home for the family's first ever vacation together there wasn't a hint of the tragedy to come. Instead they felt blessed and excited to "dig clams, build sand castles and splash in tide pools" when they arrived at Birch Bay, Washington.
While Abby's mom prepared a meal around the campfire the first night, the rest of the family went to the nearby amusement park and three-year-old Joel proudly announced to his mother on his return, "I rode 'wiff' Matt" on the Ferris Wheel. That night the family lay in a "circle, their feet to the fire like spokes" on a wheel, listening to the sounds of "waves lapping the shore" and watching the stars never suspecting what tomorrow would bring or how much they would wish to turn the clock back.
Before they left the next day, the family "strolled the remaining crescent of the beach" pressed in on one side by the incoming tide and "cars inching along the road" on the other. Joel was tired, his nap time long past and he asked Matt to "Carry me 'pwease'" and his brother quickly obliged.
Mom warned Matt Joel would "fall asleep and let go" so Dad took the tired little boy who then settled his legs around his Dad's waist and "nestled his head beneath his chin." It would be the family's last happy moment. Just then a "Chevy swerved off the road, hit Dad and Joel was thrown into the Chevy's windshield and his small blonde head bounced onto the road bed.
Thus begins one family's story of doubt, anger and grief wrapped with realism and touches of humor in their long journey of healing. That was when time for the family became “before and after” where a family learns the world is sometimes not safe and good things don't always last forever; an emotional time of doubt and testing—of beliefs, relationships and ideals on a journey of faith that sometimes spirals out of control.
I was very impressed with Ann Marie's warm and genuine characterizations of Abby, the family and the tragedy that almost tore them apart. This well-written story will appeal to all ages and I look forward to more fiction from this author.
'Stars in the Grass,' by Ann Marie Stewart, Barbour Books, 2017, 320 Pages, 978-1634099509, $14.99
“Gail’s Bookshelf” Midwest Book Reviews: April 2017
FaceBook: Gail Welborn
Google+GailWelborn
Pinterest: GailWelborn
Twitter: @GailWelborn
December 21, 2017
Ann Marie Stewart’s novel, Stars in The Grass, won the 2017 Christy Award for Debut Novel, and after reading it I can understand just what wowed the judges. Moving, insightful, and full of heart and heartache, this novel grabbed my imagination from the beginning. I would not characterized it as an easy read by any means, but would call it a must-read. A grieving family is the at the center with all facing a new reality with differing responses. The journey is painful, but with a whisper of hope that touched this reader. Stars in The Grass is very highly recommended.
The year is 1970 and nine year old Abby McAndrews is faced with days of love and fun with her family. That is until the unthinkable happens, leaving a gaping hole in their hearts. Abby, brother Matt, dad John, and mom Renee return to their home and begin the process of getting over what occurred. But there is no getting over a broken heart or lost dreams or a shattered family. And the grief they experience prevents them from going back or moving forward.
Stars in The Grass is told in Abby’s first person perspective. I really identified with this character for a number of reasons — I am exactly one year older than her since we share the same birthday. But it is her response to the loss of her brother that resonated with me. The losses I have experienced in my life — death of a child, loss of parents, and sudden death of my brother-in-law — were met with the same reaction as Abby. Fear. The fear of what the next day or moment could bring because life had become uncontrollable and uncertain. Stewart’s realistic portrayal of Abby and the other characters’ responses to death are so realistic that I felt the bitterness, the guilt, the anger, the fear, and the hopelessness of each. But in the end they and we can know that grief can be accompanied by hope. Was it easy for the McAndrews family (or for us)? No. But the assurance of a God who brings light even in the darkest of pits can get us through.
Easter came in the midst of the family’s grieving and Abby found the following:
My Easter was about being lost and found. It was about a Comforter. About hope and life, and the birth of a Church, and resurrecting dreams even when nobody quite knew how. But we were together and we were talking. And something about that felt — for now — almost good enough. (p. 245)
As I stated, Stars in The Grass is not an easy read, nor is it a quick one. This book is meant to be read in an unhurried manner, allowing for breaks for emotion and thought. It is an award winner for a reason. It is beautifully written with realistic and complex characters, and a subject matter that will make you think. If this is what a debut looks like, then I am eager to read more from Stewart.
Very Highly Recommended.
Great for Book Clubs.
Audience: adults.
(Thanks to the author for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
The year is 1970 and nine year old Abby McAndrews is faced with days of love and fun with her family. That is until the unthinkable happens, leaving a gaping hole in their hearts. Abby, brother Matt, dad John, and mom Renee return to their home and begin the process of getting over what occurred. But there is no getting over a broken heart or lost dreams or a shattered family. And the grief they experience prevents them from going back or moving forward.
Stars in The Grass is told in Abby’s first person perspective. I really identified with this character for a number of reasons — I am exactly one year older than her since we share the same birthday. But it is her response to the loss of her brother that resonated with me. The losses I have experienced in my life — death of a child, loss of parents, and sudden death of my brother-in-law — were met with the same reaction as Abby. Fear. The fear of what the next day or moment could bring because life had become uncontrollable and uncertain. Stewart’s realistic portrayal of Abby and the other characters’ responses to death are so realistic that I felt the bitterness, the guilt, the anger, the fear, and the hopelessness of each. But in the end they and we can know that grief can be accompanied by hope. Was it easy for the McAndrews family (or for us)? No. But the assurance of a God who brings light even in the darkest of pits can get us through.
Easter came in the midst of the family’s grieving and Abby found the following:
My Easter was about being lost and found. It was about a Comforter. About hope and life, and the birth of a Church, and resurrecting dreams even when nobody quite knew how. But we were together and we were talking. And something about that felt — for now — almost good enough. (p. 245)
As I stated, Stars in The Grass is not an easy read, nor is it a quick one. This book is meant to be read in an unhurried manner, allowing for breaks for emotion and thought. It is an award winner for a reason. It is beautifully written with realistic and complex characters, and a subject matter that will make you think. If this is what a debut looks like, then I am eager to read more from Stewart.
Very Highly Recommended.
Great for Book Clubs.
Audience: adults.
(Thanks to the author for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
August 2, 2018
I am not too crazy about the theme of grief, but I took a look at Amazon’s excerpt pages and the strong voice of the main character--surprise, surprise the nine-year-old Abby McAndrews—captured me. So I read the book. My first impression, aside from Abby’s voice, was the strength of the insistence of the author on the theme, and as the result, she created a superb novel.
In the story, while the McAndrews family—Mom, Dad, Matt, Abby, and the three-year-old Joel—are on a family vacation in a beach town, and while the dad, Reverend John McAndrews is carrying Joel, a car careens off the road, hitting them and killing Joel. After this, the family is never the same again.
When they go back home, Dad cannot work and goes on sabbaticals three times in a row, causing the family to worry about losing their home; Matt turns to bad company and possibly drugs and alcohol, and Abby is terribly upset with what’s happening to her family. When the mother finally pulls herself together again, she becomes the strongest person in the family who wants everyone to look ahead instead of wallowing in grief and guilt.
Abby herself goes from grief to guilt and vice versa, but most of the time, as much as she hates what is happening to her family, she is helpless herself. There is a lot of introspection and observing others by Abby who voices her observations in an elegiac yet poetic tone. Her insights, sensitivity, and resilience provide the best highlights for the novel.
The author’s mastery in the treatment of the secondary characters is worth mentioning, too, mainly the people in the church, Rita who is Abby’s friend, and her mother Patty. All the characters are fully developed and fit the parts they play in the story beautifully.
Talking for me, I try to stay away from any religion's advertisements, but in this story, there is no religious sermonizing to the readers. What is there happens only because the plot demands it since the events take place around a church and the father is a Reverend.
Talking about the father, as much as I understood his pain, he made me feel annoyed with him, since he was so selfish in neglecting the family by wallowing in his grief, not providing for them, and playing with the hobby of fixing timepieces to pass his time, which, at the end, I realized had to have been the author’s symbolism at work.
The novel’s ending is one of hope and satisfaction as the family unites again to face life together. Grief is a difficult theme to work with, let alone to show it as well as this author has done, and I am deeply touched by her sensitivity in handling the central problem and then, telling the story through the voice of a child so effectively.
As the final word, I usually stay away from novels that are classified under Christian fiction because I don't like to be talked down to or listen to an author's religious solicitation, but this book is a gem and maybe I won't be as picky in this area again.
In the story, while the McAndrews family—Mom, Dad, Matt, Abby, and the three-year-old Joel—are on a family vacation in a beach town, and while the dad, Reverend John McAndrews is carrying Joel, a car careens off the road, hitting them and killing Joel. After this, the family is never the same again.
When they go back home, Dad cannot work and goes on sabbaticals three times in a row, causing the family to worry about losing their home; Matt turns to bad company and possibly drugs and alcohol, and Abby is terribly upset with what’s happening to her family. When the mother finally pulls herself together again, she becomes the strongest person in the family who wants everyone to look ahead instead of wallowing in grief and guilt.
Abby herself goes from grief to guilt and vice versa, but most of the time, as much as she hates what is happening to her family, she is helpless herself. There is a lot of introspection and observing others by Abby who voices her observations in an elegiac yet poetic tone. Her insights, sensitivity, and resilience provide the best highlights for the novel.
The author’s mastery in the treatment of the secondary characters is worth mentioning, too, mainly the people in the church, Rita who is Abby’s friend, and her mother Patty. All the characters are fully developed and fit the parts they play in the story beautifully.
Talking for me, I try to stay away from any religion's advertisements, but in this story, there is no religious sermonizing to the readers. What is there happens only because the plot demands it since the events take place around a church and the father is a Reverend.
Talking about the father, as much as I understood his pain, he made me feel annoyed with him, since he was so selfish in neglecting the family by wallowing in his grief, not providing for them, and playing with the hobby of fixing timepieces to pass his time, which, at the end, I realized had to have been the author’s symbolism at work.
The novel’s ending is one of hope and satisfaction as the family unites again to face life together. Grief is a difficult theme to work with, let alone to show it as well as this author has done, and I am deeply touched by her sensitivity in handling the central problem and then, telling the story through the voice of a child so effectively.
As the final word, I usually stay away from novels that are classified under Christian fiction because I don't like to be talked down to or listen to an author's religious solicitation, but this book is a gem and maybe I won't be as picky in this area again.
February 5, 2017
Amazing drama of a Christian family and how they deal with loss through the perspective of the 9 year old daughter. There are so many things I loved about this book. First of all, the author through use of this family reveals the various ways people deal with loss as we each grieve in our own ways. I love how during different points in the story, the focus is on a particular family member and how they are responding to grief. Additionally, there are key lessons mingled throughout this story to give hope and assist those currently grieving. Secondly I love how this book doesn't gloss over the grieving process or offer empty platitudes, instead the book ends with hope shining through with more questions than answers. There is no pretending to have all the answers, so it is real and genuine.
I therefore highly recommend that you get a copy of this book and prepare to be pulled into this families grief and I can almost guarantee you will relate to one of the key characters whether it be Abby the young girl who wants everything to go back to normal and then feels guilty that she does or the dad who withdraws into himself or the teenage boy who gets into trouble and rebels or the mom that is trying to be strong for the rest of the family. And I love how in the midst of the grief stricken family drama, the author has imbedded little moments of joy as you will find yourself chuckling at points in the story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review
I therefore highly recommend that you get a copy of this book and prepare to be pulled into this families grief and I can almost guarantee you will relate to one of the key characters whether it be Abby the young girl who wants everything to go back to normal and then feels guilty that she does or the dad who withdraws into himself or the teenage boy who gets into trouble and rebels or the mom that is trying to be strong for the rest of the family. And I love how in the midst of the grief stricken family drama, the author has imbedded little moments of joy as you will find yourself chuckling at points in the story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review
January 30, 2017
Stars in the Grass by Ann Marie Stewart is an amazing journey of a family through the valley of the shadow of death. Abby and her family had gone on vacation for a wedding but were coming home for a funeral. When tragedy strikes a family, how do they react? Stewart writes a gut-wrenching account of what death can do to a family, a family that believes in God, even teaches about God to others. What happens when there are no answers, only questions? Is faith gone? Will running away help? Will there ever be healing? Will grief and guilt tear the family apart? The author gives such a realistic view into this family and what grief does to each of them. They've lost a son and brother, can they find the Comforter? Abby, with fears too big for her heart. Matt, with guilt that elicits dangerous behaviors. Mom and Dad, with such different ways of grieving that their one-ness, their family, may be lost forever. The story is of palpable grief seen through the eyes of Abby, a 9-year-old girl who needs to know that life can have hope, that stories can be written anew. This character driven book reveals the heart of pain and the hope of healing and brought this reader to the brink of tears right from the beginning. A wonderfully moving story that will stay with you long after you close the book.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and Netgalley. A positive review was not required and the opinions are my own.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and Netgalley. A positive review was not required and the opinions are my own.
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